Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud Read Free Book Online Page B

of ways, though taller, I expect. He disregarded the Trows.'
    'I didn't say that , only—'
    'He was not of Svein's line, but from some House where they have less sense – Eirik's or Hakon's, most like. Well, that boy made it known he would go a-wandering up on the moors. He was mad, of course – they should have chained him in a hut – but they let him go. They watched him skip beyond the cairns, go prancing up onto the ridge; once or twice he waved at them in his insolence. Know what happened then?'
    Halli sighed. 'I assume something unpleasant . . .'
    'You assume correctly. A thick hill-fog came down. The boy was lost from view; it grew so dark it seemed that night had fallen, though it was not yet afternoon. At the point when the fog was thickest, the people heard thin cries – not far off, but of course they could not go to help. A wind sprang up and blew the fog higher up the moors, letting the sun in. The people saw the boy then, wedged in the ground up to his waist, not ten yards from the nearest cairn. He was still alive; he called and pleaded faintly. A brave man ran to a thicket, cut down a sapling and thrust it out beyond the stones. The boy grasped it; the people pulled . . . Well.'
    Halli said: 'I think I can guess the rest.'
    'Your imagination could not be so dreadful. The first thing they noticed was that he was lighter than expected. Then they saw he left a red trail on the ground behind him. Then they saw that his bottom half was gone.'
    'Yes. I think—'
    'Gone! Everything up to his navel. The rest had been eaten, or carried off into the hole. Of course he was dead before he reached the cairns. So that is the story of the boy who didn't believe in the Trows. I can tell you many others in similar vein.'
    'I know. I think I will sleep now.'
    'If nothing else it proves that your lot could be worse. Yes, your legs are short, but at least you have them still. Accept your situation with good grace, and all will soon be well. 'And with that Katla blew out the light and shuffled from the room.

4
    S VEIN WAS FRIENDLY WITH Egil, but even as a youth the other heroes tried his nerves. There was never a fair or horse-meet when they weren't coming up and challenging him to some trial or other. As well as their temerity he disliked their oddities of speech, their strange modes of dress, and in particular the way his down-valley rivals always smelled of fish. When Arne and Erlend suggested a boulder-toss one time, Svein threw his out of the field altogether and into the middle of the river, to form a little island. Then, since their stench insulted him, he caught the heroes by the hind legs and lobbed them both midstream.
    Two days later the Gathering began. Shortly after dawn the first riders were seen approaching along the road, slow grey shadows emerging from the beech wood; behind came carts, muddy and travel-stained. A horn was blown at the north gate, fires were lit in the meadow roasting pits and kegs broached in readiness. Wrapped in thick cloaks against the chill. Arnkel and Astrid walked down to make the greeting.
    The sun rose over the Snag, striking the roof of the hall. Men and women rushed from the kitchens, bearing bread and cakes under fresh white linen down to the tables in the fields. The first arrivals worked to build their tents and hang the colours of their House upon their chosen booth. Children ran across the wet grass, shouting. Now the road was thick with traffic; it rang with hooves and squealing wheels. The air grew warm and cloaks were hurled aside; tunics and kirtles of a dozen colours mingled in the meadow. Hands were grasped, hugs exchanged; time and again the horns sounded against the babble of the throng. The excitement carried far upon the autumn winds.
    From high on the Trow wall, Halli watched for as long as he could stomach, then retreated to his room, where the happy sounds were mostly muffled.
    The deep frustration that dwelled within him now flared into life and burned hotly in